Always Two Sides To A Mirror
by Elizabeth Opal S
Summary: Rated for later chapters *Snickers*
1. Chapter 1

The black haired girl switched on her I-pod. Gimmie More blasted out and she walked down the long, dim hall in time with the music. She hummed as she scribbled on the clipboard, carefully examining the various creatures in the glass cages in front of her. "Who's a good little guinea pig?" She said sadly.

"Itia!"

"Hmm?" The eighteen year old looked at the white haired man that was hurrying to her. "What is it, Kabuto?"

"Orochimaru wanted me to give this to you." He opened his hands to reveal a dark purple orogami fox. Itia gingerly took it.

"It's pretty, but what's it for?"

"To tell others that you belong to Orochimaru-sama."

"Ah. Okay. But- ahh..." Her eyes flashed that familiar gold.

"What's wrong, Itia?"

"This fox... ahh..." She bit her lip as the fox started to glow. "It wants to- come to- agh!" Suddenly, the dark purple paper came to life, trotting about happily, yet staying close to the dark haired woman. She fell backwards. "Agh. That fucking hurt." Itia closed her eyes and rested, falling asleep within minutes. Kabuto sighed and picked the sleeping woman up. The fox paper looked at him expectantly.

"What?" The paper cocked it's head to the side. Suddenly, a shrill, yet worried, voice sounded from the end of the room.

"Kabuto!"

"What, Karin?"

"Is Itia okay?" The red head ran up.

"She's fine."  
"What happened?"

"Oh, you haven't seen this before. I forgot. Silly me. Follow me and I'll show you."

"Okay."

"Hey, grab that paper."

"Err- okay." She scooped up the paper and bounded off eagerly after the man. Later, Kabuto tended to the woman. She was sleeping, laying on her soft black comforter. As usual, she muttered in her sleep.

"You see, when she first got here, Itia was young. Orochimaru needed a vessel for a demon he had found. Itia turned out to be the perfect vessel. Healthy, young, and strong. So it was put in her heart, hence the marking on her chest. But there was an unexpected side effect. She could bring inanimate things to life. At first, she had terrible trouble at controlling it, but she got better at it. Now, it almost never happens unless she makes it happen. Sometimes, though, there's an odd pull about something and her body goes haywire. It comes to life whether she wants it to or not."

"But why does she get like this after it comes to life?"

"That's what is troubling me. She never got like this before. She would get dizzy for a few seconds, but then she'd get right back up. This time is different, though, and it's worrying me. I thi-"

"Agh!" Itia cried out, her eyes snapping open. The markings on her chest glowed and burned her. "Shit!" White light blinded all of them. Once their eyes cleared, they looked around.

"Oh my god!" Karin squeaked. Kabuto looked to where she was pointing. Itia was unconscious and there was a fox pup at her feet. The pup had dark purple eyes. Kabuto looked to where the paper fox had been. It was gone. He looked at the fox and it cocked it's head to the side. Exactly like the paper fox had.


	2. Chapter 2

Itia licked the chocolate ice cream cone. "Did ya hear?" Karin asked her excitedly.

"'Bout what?"

"Someone's gonna be joining us!"

"Really?"  
"Yup! I heard that he's hot!" Itia laughed.

"You have a one track mind, honey." The thirteen year old laughed and stuck a spoonful of vanilla ice cream in her mouth. The fox at the older woman's feet slept soundly. She had given up trying to get ice cream from the two females. A few boys ran by, laughing and chasing each other.

"I'm gonna be the best ninja in the world!"

"No I am!" They laughed as they ran off. Itia sat there on the bench, smiling. It was getting to be fall.

"Itia-sama?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you like living with Orochimaru?"

"It's not terrible, I suppose."

"Your eyes say different." Itia was becoming alarmed. She knew her apprentice could easily tell people's moods. But she had never let her guard down enough that her eyes told what she was feeling. "Don't worry, master. I hate it, too." Itia relaxed and leaned back, closing her eyes.

"I am not lost!"

"Face it, pervy sage! We are lost!" Itia listened to the argument. The two males were getting closer. Then she recognized one of the voices.

"Naruto!" She wrapped him in a hug.

"Itia!" He hugged back.

"Who's this very sexy woman, Naruto?" The sanin said as he walked behind her. He suddenly reached out and grabbed her butt. Karin gasped.

"Ooh! You're gonna get it from my master now!" She said with a grin on her face. The sanin got a swift kick to the groin, so hard that it lifted him off the ground by a few inches. He fell over, crying. Naruto and Karin were both laughing their heads off. Later, the four sat in a small teashop. They drank tea, courtesy of Itia.

"Like I said, Mr. Jiraiya, I'm very sorry. Karin, what do you say?"

"I'm sorry for laughing, Mr. Sanin, sir."

"It's okay. I laughed, too." Naruto said sweetly.

"So, Naruto-kun how is your team?"

"Everyone's good."

"How is Sasuke doing?"

"Well. Why do you ask?"

"I have my reasons."

"You know, you look like Sasuke's older brother." Itia choked on her tea.

"Master! Are you okay!?!" The red headed apprentice jumped up, but Itia waved her away. She calmed down, blushing.

"S-sorry."

"It's just that your resemblance to Sasuke's older brother is uncanny. I remember fighting him once," Jiraiya said slowly.

"Weird, but I don't have any siblings, I'm afraid." She lied, looking at the clock. "Damn. We need to leave, Karin. You know how Orochimaru-sama worries. Let's go find Jugo." The two got up.

"Wait! Did you say Orochimaru?"

"Yes."

"How does he treat you?"

"Why would you care?" Itia said, a suspicious hue to her voice.

"Just wondering. He was an old friend."

"He treats us like his own daughters." Itia turned and started to walk off. "Karii. Come." The fox pup got up and trotted off after them. Jiraiya watched her walk off, her hips swinging. He licked his lips, grinning.

"Damn she's hot."

"Pervy sage..." Naruto said, defeated. Outside, the village was calm. There were a few people here and there, but most were inside by now.

"Ooh! There he is Itia-sama!" It suddenly started to downpour just as she called to her master. The red head pointed to a figure moving through the rain. They bolted over to the orange haired boy, waiting under an overhang.

"What have you got, honey?" Jugo pulled something out of his cloak. It was a beautiful white dove.

"I found her. She's hurt, Itia-chan." Itia took the small bird into her hands.

"She's fine, but her wing is injured. Come. We'll take her back home with us. Oka-" A red headed teenager interrupted her. The blond next to him looked somewhat miffed.

"Um, excuse us, but do you know how to get to this place?" He pointed to a place on the map that was circled.

"Um, I don't think so. What about you, Karin?"

"Me neither, Itia-sama. Jugo do you?" He looked at the map quietly.

"Actually, I do. It's a store managed by a sweet old lady. You go left at the end of this road and then go straight down this road and then you turn right. It's a big blue shop." The red head took his map back.

"Thank you so much. It's my friend's grandmother's shop. My friend's terrible with directions, though."

"You're welcome, mister."

"Itia-sama, what about the bird?" Karin asked as the two boys walked off.

"We need to take her back with us. I can heal her, but I don't want to let her go in these conditions."

"But Orochimaru'll want to do experiments on her."

"Silly apprentice. I won't let him even touch her."

"Okay." The oldest woman pulled her hood over her head and folded the bird gently into her cloak.

"Come." She stepped out into the rain, being followed by the girl and the boy.


	3. Chapter 3

"So you found this little thing outside?"

"Yes, Kabuto." Jugo said. Itia gently pressed down on the little bird's side. It stayed still.

"Good little birdy." She muttered as her hands glowed blue. Suddenly, the bird started to fidget, not liking the feeling of being pressed on. "All done." She removed her hands and the bird flew around, finally coming to a stop on Jugo's shoulder. He smiled.

"Thank you, Itia."

"All part of the job, love. Would you like to let her go? It's stopped raining outside."

"Yeah." Outside, Jugo held the bird in his hands.

"One, two, three!" Jugo sort of gently tossed the bird into the air and it swiftly took off, flying to freedom. It started to downpour and the two kids ran inside.

"Itia-sama? Are you coming in?"

"Itia-senpai?"

"Master! Are you okay?" Itia shook her head and darted past the kids. She skid into her room and collapsed onto the bed. Tears streamed down her face and stained her soft pillow.

"Why do you haunt me like this? Why? Nii..." There was a soft knock on the door.

"Itia-sama?"

"I'll be out later, Karin."

"What's wrong, master?"

"Just a little tired."

"O-okay." She walked off, worried. Later that night, Itia woke up. She felt like something was wrong. Suddenly, a shrill scream echoed through the home. The black haired woman shot down the dim hallway and hurried into Karin's room. "Master..." The red head was gripping the sheets so hard that her knuckles turned white.

"Bear? What happened?" Itia called Karin 'Bear' whenever she was trying to soothe her. She took the red head in her arms and petted her hair.

"Momma!" 'Not this nickname. Please not this nickname!' Itia's mind screamed. The nickname meant terrible things whenever she was called it. The teen broke down in tears. "D-don't ever leave me! Don't l-leave me here all by myself! Please! I-I'd dieeeeee..." The red head layed there, shivering and sniffling.

"Bear..." Karin cried harder. Itia took the younger girl's chin and made Karin look her in the eyes. "I would never, _ever_, leave you alone. Especially not here." She kissed her on the forehead. Kabuto and Kimimaru skid in, Kimimaru almost falling, both alarmed.

"What h-happened!?!" Kimimaru said.

"Just a nightmare." Itia said and looked down. Karin was already asleep again. Itia layed her down and threw the blanket over Karin's thin body. Kimimaru followed Itia into the "living" room. She plopped onto the couch in her silk nightgown. She yawned, tired, and looked at Kimimaru. "You guys just get home?"

"Yeah. I freaked out when I heard Karin scream." The fox trotted in and wound itself eagerly around the man's legs. "My, my. Who're you, you sweet little animal?"

"Her name's Karii." Kimimaru looked at the fox, his teal colored eyes shining.

"She's so sweet. How did you get her?" Itia tiredly rolled her eyes.

"Long fucking story." Kimimaru chuckled.

"Only you would put it so simply, Itia."

"Yeah..." She was so tired. She drifted to sleep and Kimimaru picked her up in that gentle way of his. In a just world, she would be his real sister. He layed her in her bed and trotted out the door, shutting it behind him. A few hours later, two males slid through Itia's window.

"I'm guessing the poison worked, un." The blond said.

"Of course it did." The red head snapped back, lifting the thin figure off the bed. He noticed Deidara blush at the sight of her. She _was_ in a rather short black lacy nightgown, but who cared? "Immature brat." Deidara frowned and looked around her room for the first time. His eyes widened and he examined all the beautiful pictures on the wall. Some were drawn, some were painted. Most were of animals and flowers, but some were just splatters of paint.

"Wow..." He was amazed.

"Brat!"

"Hmm?"

"Come on. Now." Suddenly, a soft whimper came from the foot of the bed. A fox cocked it's head to the side. Deidara looked at the window. His superior was already out. Another whimper from the little fox puppy.

"Un." He picked the fox up and hopped out the door.

Few hours later

Itia slowly woke up from the affects of the poison. She opened her eyes and looked around. She was sitting next to a fire. For some reason, she just couldn't look away. "You're up already, un?" She screamed at the voice, incredibly surprised. She calmed down.

"W-who the hell are you?" The woman looked up at the man. He smiled.

"Deidara, yeah."

"Why did you kidnap me?"

"You don't sound too anxious to get back, un."

"There's only three reasons I'd go back to that hell hole."

"Hello." The red head stepped into the clearing. Then Itia's memory clicked.

"Oh my god! You're the guys that asked for directions!"

"You _just_ remembered that?"

"I'm not thinking so clearly right now." She stood up and Deidara blushed, throwing a cloak to her. She looked down and blushed heavily, putting the cloak on. She wished

"It'll ware off soon." The red head tossed a bag to Deidara. "Take her to the river and let her clean up."

"Okay, Sasori-danna. C'mon, Itia." The woman followed the blond to a wide, yet calm, river. It was so clear that you could see the bottom. He climbed onto a large rock and started to mold clay into various shapes. Itia watched him as she cleaned up. Suddenly he spoke. "When we came and got you, I saw your artwork, yeah. It was amazing, un!"

"T-thank you." She finished cleaning up. There was a change of clothes in the bag and she gratefully put them on. Deidara hopped off the rock and walked over to her, watching her tug a brush through her black hair. 'Damn. She's hot.' He thought. "Hey."

"Hmm?"

"Do have an extra hair tie that I could borrow?"

"Yeah." He took a hair tie out of his pocket and gave it to her.

"Thanks. My hair gets crazy without shampoo." She quickly and flawlessly put her hair up in a high pony tail. It reached her shoulder blades.

"No problem, un. Oh yeah, this wanted to come with us." He whistled and a fox puppy bound into the clearing, crashing into her owner. She laughed happily.

"Oh my god! Thank you so much!" Deidara chuckled.

"She wouldn't leave your side. What's her name?" Sasori stepped into the clearing.

"Her name is..." Itia's eyes almost leaked tears, but she bit her lip. "Her name is Karii." She stood up and dusted herself off.

"We need to get going. Deidara, you know what to do."

"Gladly, un." He took some clay in his hand and closed it. When he opened it, there was a little clay bird in the palm of his hand. He threw it up in the air and it was enclosed in a puff of smoke. When it cleared, there was a huge clay bird on the ground.

"Whoa..." Itia said, amazed. The bird was beautiful.

"Yeah!" Deidara said as he hopped onto the back of the bird.

"Coming?" Sasori asked calmly.

"Don't really have much of a choice, do I?" She hopped onto the back of the bird.


	4. Chapter 4

Itia was sitting on her knees on the big bird. She examined everything about it from where she sat. The way it flew, the shape of it, everything. It was graceful, yet efficient. "It's amazing."

"Thanks!"

"This isn't real art, brat. This-" He took out a scroll and a puff of cloud exploded around him. When it cleared, there was a puppet in front of him. He had blue strings coming from his hands and connecting to the puppet. It looked like a man. "-is real art."

"Not it isn't, un! Art should be fleeting!"

"Art is eternal, brat!"

"Itia! Who's art is better, un?" The woman stood up and walked over to the puppet. She looked it over.

"It's beautiful and you can tell it was once a real human."

"How do you know that's how I make puppets?"

"I have ways. Either way, it's amazing."

"But who's is better, yeah?" Itia got a far off look as she sat down on the bird's back. She reached into her bag and pulled out her sketchbook. She sketched for a few minutes, humming quietly. "What are you doing, un?"

"Making a point." She turned the sketchbook toward them and they looked at it. It was a sketch of a dove standing on a branch. It was absolutely breath taking. "Is this art?"

"Well, of course." Sasori said, confused.

"You know the bird I had in my hands when you came up to me yesterday?"

"Yeah." Deidara said, as confused as Sasori.

"This is her after I healed her injured wing."

"And?" The red head asked, looking over the sketch again.

"I love this sketch. Deidara, do you love your sculptures?"

"Of course, un!"

"Sasori, do you love your puppets?"

"Yeah."

"That's what makes art. The way I see it, everything is art. It just takes the right eyes to see the value. As long as one person in the whole world loves something, it's art." She ripped a blank peice of paper out of her sketchbook and tore it into a bunch of little shreds. "Watch." She flung the handful of paper over the edge of the bird. The peices fluttered down until they were out of sight. "Did you think that was art?"

"Err-"

"Most would say no. But I think it was. The way the shreds fluttered so gracefully in the wind. Art is everything. Just the thought of it is intoxicating." She finished, smiling. She was on all fours, watching the ground speed by. "See what I mean?"

"Yeah. I do." Sasori said, understanding what she meant.

"Me too." Deidara was so deep in the thought that he didn't add his usual 'un'. Itia layed on her back, looking into the blue abyss that was the sky.

"Everything is art. Even people are." She got a sad, far away look in her eyes. "And when you lose art that you truly loved, it feels like your heart has broken beyond repair." Silence followed. The fox puppy nudged her owner's hand and Itia looked at her. She had something in her mouth. It was shiny and purple. "My I-pod? When did you find this?" The fox pup just layed down next to her master. She pressed play and Silly Boy played. 'Oh well.' She thought as she drifted to sleep, the hollow feeling in her heart stronger than usual.


	5. Chapter 5

*Dream*

"Good night, Brother!" Itia hugged her twin.

"Good night, Sister." He hugged back and ran back to his room for bed. Itia did the same and hopped onto her bed. The ten year old girl curled up under the covers and fell asleep. Twenty minutes past midnight, her large window slid open silently. A man in his thirties slunk in and walked over to the bed. A smirk on his face, he lifted her up gently. She woke up the second he touched her and started screaming. The door burst open and her twin lunged for the man.

"Itia!"

"Brother!" She kept screaming as the man carried her quickly out the window. She bit and kicked and scratched and screamed and...

----------

"Good night, Brother!" Itia hugged her twin.

"Good night, Sister." He hugged back and ran back to his room for bed. Itia did the same and hopped onto her bed. The ten year old girl curled up under the covers and fell asleep. Twenty minutes past midnight, her large window slid open silently. A man in his thirties slunk in and walked over to the bed. A smirk on his face, he lifted her up gently. She woke up the second he touched her and started screaming. The door burst open and her twin lunged for the man.

"Itia!"

"Brother!" She kept screaming as the man carried her quickly out the window. She bit and kicked and scratched and screamed and...

-----------------

"Good night, Brother!" Itia hugged her t-

"Itia, un?"

"Good night, Sister." Her twin hugged back an-

"Itia!"*

Itia shot up and her head collided with the blonde's. "Ow!" He lost his balance and fell on top of her. Deidara struggled to get up. He hopped backwards a few feet and fell on his butt. Itia stood up and walked over to him. He was holding his nose and blood was seeping down his hand, staining the ground.

"You're bleeding..."

"Really!?!" Deidara said sarcastically. The woman stepped closer to him and Deidara blushed harder. If it wasn't for the fishnet, he'd be able to see her underwear.

"Oh god. I'm sorry." She helped him sit on a flat rock. "Move your hand." Deidara did as he was told and Itia looked him over. "Here." She caressed his face, but in order to do that, she had to bend down. She was practically sitting in his lap. Her hands glowed blue and the blood stopped within a few seconds. "I'm so sorry, Deidara." She looked him in the eyes, not moving. Deidara blushed even more when he realized how close he was to her lips.

"Am I interrupting something?" Itia jumped at Sasori's voice, startled, and actually fell into his lap. She slid backwards and fell to the ground, landing on her back.

"Shit! That fucking hurt." The woman yelled, having had the breath knocked out of her.

"So, what happened while I was gone?" He had a smirk on his face.

"I was having a nightmare, woke up, smashed into Deidara, almost broke his nose, fixed it, and got the shit scared out of me by you sneaking up on us."

"Yeah, that's pretty much it, un." Deidara helped her up.

"So you two say. Anyway, we need to get going. We're almost there and Konan's probably about to kill someone from excitement." The fox puppy jumped into Itia's arms and they started to walk. Two hours later, they came to a huge boulder.

"This is your home? How do you-"

"Get in? Watch. You too, Deidara. You screwed it up last time." Sasori did the hand signs slowly as both watched. The boulder opened and Itia gasped. She followed them in and stood awkwardly in a living room. Suddenly, she heard a squeal and something tackled her from behind. She wrapped her legs around whatever it was and did a handstand. She landed it's stomach and whatever it was cried out. She was sitting on a man. He had spiky black hair and a swirly orange mask and he was...

Crying?

"Oh, I'm sorry, lil' guy." She rolled off of him and helped him into a sitting position. He was like a child and she hated hurting children or animals. "You okay?"

"Y-yeah. Tobi was just trying to be a good boy!"

"Zetsu! Come get your pet, un!" A woman answered him.

"He isn't here!" A woman trotted in. She had long blue hair and gold eyes. She grinned. "You're here!"

"Um, hello."

"Welcome to the Akatsuki, honey. Would you like to see your room?"

"Yeah."

"Follow me." Itia stood up and followed the woman to her room.


	6. Chapter 6

Itia looked around her room. Her face was blank and unreadable. The walls were all black. The comforter on her was dark purple and the pillows were black. There was a white clock and matching lamp on a cherry wood nightstand that was next to the bed. There was a cherry wood bookcase to the left of the door. There were three doors. The one they were standing in, one that was closed, and one that was slightly cracked open. She suddenly grinned. "Do you have some white paint?"

"Yeah." She went off and came back with a can of white paint. Itia dipped a small paintbrush into it and went to work on the walls. A few minutes later, they were covered in little white stars. "Pretty."

"Thank you." There was rumbling.

"We're home!" A man yelled out.

"Pein wants everyone in the living room!" She yelled loudly. "C'mon."

"Can I change?"

"Yeah. Your stuff is in your closet. There's your bathroom." She pointed to the cracked open door. Itia looked through her closet. Everything WAS here. She took out her usual outfit and pulled it on. A black miniskirt, a black halter top that ended halfway to her navel, and black high heeled boots. The fishnet on the seventeen year old's legs felt good against her skin. She went to the bathroom and put her hair up in the usual high pony tail. The girl fixed her eyeliner and mascara and applied her black lipstick. She trotted out and met Konan outside her door.

"Oh. Hold on." Itia put a hand on the wall. Her hand glowed. "On mei no kor gokai..." The wall cracked and a small box fell from the ceiling. She caught it and flipped the box open. She smiled and pulled a necklace out. It had a bottle at the end with a piece in it. She put it on and reached back in the box. In her hand was a Leaf village headband. She tied it around her waist and closed the box, sadly looking at a picture of two children wrapped in a hug. She stood and dropped the box into the crack in the ground. It threaded together, closing within seconds.

"Better?" She asked.

"Yeah." Itia followed the blue haired woman to a door. There was excited conversation. Konan pushed the girl through and she stood in the middle of a living room. Everyone gasped and blush flooded the teen's cheeks.

"You look exactly lik-" The door behind her opened and a man stepped. Itia turned and the two teens' eyes met at the same time. Silence engulfed the room. The two sets of eyes widened. You could have heard a pin drop. Itia trembled her knees almost giving out. The two suddenly yelled out the others' nickname as they lunged for each other. They crashed in a hug, the female crying.

"I'll kill him if he did anything to you, got it?" Itia nodded, her face buried into his chest. A fox puppy wound itself between the two, wanting to comfort her master.

"Can someone explain this?" A blue skinned man asked, as confused as the others. An auburn haired man with a ton of piercings walked in.

"I can." He looked at the smaller twin. "You may want to sit down, Itia." The girl did as she was told and practically fell onto the couch. Her twin sat next to her and she rested her head on his shoulder. Karii jumped into the teen's lap and fell asleep. "This is Itia." The girl gave a little wave, still dazed. "This is Kisame, your brother's partner. That's Kakuzu, that's Zetsu, and that's Tobi. He's Rikkari. This is the Akatsuki." He said with a gentle smile. "I'm sure you know Sasori and Deidara already, considering they're the ones that brought you here." Itia nodded. "Good. As you all can tell, Itia is Itachi's twin."

"How was she with Orochimaru, un?" Both teens shivered at the name. Pein looked at the female on the couch.

"Do you remember?" He asked kindly.

"Y-yeah."

"Do you want to tell them?"

"Might as well. When I was ten, he snuck into the Leaf. It was twelve-twenty at night. My window was open and the creep just snuck in. I screamed and Itachi burst in. The bastard just kidnapped me. I still remember what he said." She looked down at the fox in her lap. "He said, 'Now I have one of my own.'" The teen felt like throwing something. "You don't forget crap like that." Silence. "Why did you create this group?"

"We want world peace. Do you know what a jinchurriki is?"

"Yeah. Kabuto told me."

"Well, we're collecting them to create the ultimate weapon."

"Sounds interesting. I'm in." Pein smiled and threw her a ring. She caught it. It read, 'Feline'.

"Wear it. I'll explain later. Itachi, her headband." Itachi nodded and took his twin's headband as Pein left. He sliced through the leaf symbol and put it in her lap. Itia drifted to sleep as excited chatter started up.


	7. Chapter 7

Itia woke up in a warm bed. Her dark purple comforter was up to her ear. She was lying on her stomach. "Sister?"

"What?" She asked drowsily.

"How do you feel?"

"O-okay, I guess." The girl sat up.

"I have something to tell you."

"What?" Itachi looked around the room, blushing. "Brother. You're fidgeting. What's wrong? You can tell me."

"Well, it's about Kisame..." Itia smiled.

"I'm not stupid, Itachi." He was surprised. She almost never used his real name. "You're gay. So? You're still my same brother." She finished with a soft smile.

"Y-yeah. Dad wasn't too happy."

"Dad was an ass. We both knew it. Wait..."

"What?"

"W-what happened to Sasuke? Did Dad hurt him!?!" She was almost in tears.

"No."

"Then what happened?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Dinner!" Konan yelled. Itia slid out of bed and hurried after her brother.

"Brother, what happened?" He kept walking. "Tell me." She grabbed his arm.

"No." He yanked his arm away and walked through a door. The female stood there, crestfallen. He never acted so cold. A hand brushed her arm and she yelped, jumping a little. Sasori stood next to her, looking concerned.

"You okay, Itia?" The girl shivered.

"My... brother..." She looked so upset.

"What about him, honey?" She shook her head and walked into the door Itachi had. There was a round table in the middle of the room. She sat down, Deidara to her left, Tobi to her right. She laid her head on the table and closed her eyes. 'What could he be hiding? We tell each other everything. He just told me he was gay for fuck's sake. It hurts to be lied to by your own brother. Why would he lie to me? I finally found my brother and he keeps something from me! What happened to our little brother? It can't be all that bad. Even a jackass like Orochimaru would tell me if something bad happened to my little brother. Right? Oh man! This is gonna bother me until I find out. Maybe someone else knows. Who would know? Pein of course. Konan too. Wait! His boyfriend! I'll ask him la-'

"Itia!" She was ripped from her thoughts by Konan.

"W-what?"

"You okay?"

"Y-yeah." She looked around. There was nobody else at the table. "Do you happen to know where Kisame is?"

"Living room." Itia stood up.

"Thanks." She wound through the stone corridors until she came to a door. She pushed it open and stepped in. Kisame and Kakuzu were sitting in different chairs, talking.

"This one is annoying! I know Leader said not to kill him, but he's infuriating."

"Sounds bad." The girl stood there, not wanting to intrude on their conversation. After a few minutes, Kakuzu stood up and left. Kisame looked at his boyfriend's twin curiously. "Told you, didn't he?"

"Yeah. That's not why I'm here, though." Kisame patted the open space next to him and Itia sat down.

"What are you here for then?"

"There's something Itachi won't tell me."

"What's that?"

"What happened to our younger brother, Sasuke. I was wondering, do you know?"

"Yes, I do. Would you really like to know?" Itia nodded. "Well, when your brother was thirteen, something went airy in your clan. He ended up killing everyone. Except your brother."

"Okay..."

"You're not fazed by that?"

"I don't blame him. They were all pompous asses. Except Momma." Itia sighed. "I missed so much and it's all Orochimaru's fault!"

"Wait. Did you say Orochimaru?"

"Yeah..."

"He was here for a short while. Your brother chased him out, though. Mostly because he tried to take over your brother's body."

"That pig. He had me. Why couldn't he leave my brother alone!?!" She hopped up. "I need to think. Thank you for telling me, Kisame-kun." She pushed the door open and stomped out. She stopped in her tracks when she heard screaming.

"No! Don't!"

"Again, Kakuzu!?!" Pein yelled from somewhere.

"Hell yes!" Kakuzu yelled back. Itia walked back to her room and stripped down. She turned the water in her bathroom on and let the hot water fill up. When it was done, she slid in and sighed. Hot water was amazing for the nerves.


	8. Chapter 8

Itia was jerked awake by someone yelling. "Go tell bother someone else, Tobi, yeah!" There were running footsteps and then a knock on her door. She rolled out of bed and stumbled over to the door. She yanked it open and looked out.

"Tia-sama?"

"Tobi?"

"Tobi had a bad dream. Can Tobi sleep in your room?" Itia rubbed her eyes and shook her head, trying to clear the cloud in her mind.

"Yeah. I guess." She made a pallet on the floor and Tobi slid under the top blanket.

"Thank you, Tia-sama!"

"Goodnight, Tobi." She crawled back in bed and curled up, immediately falling asleep. She woke up to the smell of waffles. Itia got off the bed, oddly awake. The woman pulled on new clothes, still thinking about the bit of news she had gotten last night. She would have cried, but she was too deep in thought. 'Why would he...' She didn't care about the others. It was her little brother she was worried for. 'Where's Baby Sasuke now? What does he look like? Is he a good ninja? A strong ninja?' She tugged her brush through her hair. 'Little Baby Sasuke...'

"Itia?" The woman screamed and dropped her brush. "Whoa, didn't mean to scare you, kiddo." Itia blinked. Her brother's blue boyfriend stood behind her. He put a hand on her shoulder. "You okay?"

"Y-yeah. I'm fine. Just thinking."

"About last night?" Itia looked at Kisame's eyes through the mirror. He really meant it. The woman nodded.

"I really miss my Baby Sasuke. You know, I made a promise to him."

"Wanna tell what it is?"

"Not really. I-I couldn't keep it..."

"Okay. Konan wanted me to come get you for breakfast."

"I'm not all that hungry now."

"At least come sit with us? Your brother seems upset."

"Okay." She followed him to the dining room and sat between him and Deidara. Deidara's eyes widened. Now that she had properly showered, she was absolutely beautiful. Her shiny black hair flowed down her back and her pale skin contrasted perfectly with her black clothes. She had the same outfit as yesterday, but today she had a hat on. It looked like a miniature black top hat and sat on her head at an angle. She smelled like chocolate and it was enticing to Deidara's nose. A fox puppy trotted in and sat on Itia's lap. She stood on her hind legs and put her front paws on her collar-bones. Karii cocked her head to the side and looked her owner in the eyes. "What?" Itia asked quietly. A whimper from the fox. Itachi came in just as Itia stood up. "I'm not hungry." The woman walked out and they heard the entrance rise, then fall. Itachi sat down and blinked. 'She hates me now. All because I wouldn't tell her what happened. It is rather petty, isn't it? She'd hate me even if I told her, though. She held that fox like it was a baby. I bet she misses Sasuke.'

"Itachi?" Kisame asked.

"Hn?" Itachi responded, his face hidden by his arms.

"I told her what happened." Itachi stood up, the chair behind him teetering and almost falling over.

"You did what!?!" He growled, pissed. Itachi's eyes narrowed at his lover.

"She was so distraught. I had to."

"I hate you." Itachi stormed out of the room and out the entrance of the base. They could tell the words stung the man. Outside, Itia sat on the top of the base, thinking again. He fox puppy lay next to her, sleeping peacefully. She had eaten a rabbit.

"The food chain's so mean." Itia had said, amused. Suddenly, the rock rumbled and her twin darted out, running into the forest. "What the hell?" A few minutes later, she closed her eyes and went to thinking again. 'Is he okay? Poor Baby Sasuke. All alone. I hope he's fared well. I truly have missed so much. What will become of Orochimaru? What about Karin or Jugo or Kabuto? What about Kimimaru? Will I ever see them again? I hope. I hope Karin doesn't forget me. She trusted me…' Itia lay down on her back and turned on her iPod. Photofinish blasted through the earbuds and she listened closely.

"You always hedging on a safe bet. Walkin' a tightrope with a safety net. Face it, it doesn't mean shit unless you take a risk. Shush, baby, shut your mouth cuz you're not part of this. This time." The woman sang the lyrics. 'I never take risks, do I? Hmm…' Itia thought.

"Itia!" Deidara called for the woman.

"What?" She yelled back.

"We have a mission!"

"Err. I'm coming." She leapt from the rock and landed on the branch of a tree at the edge of the clearing. Itia hopped from the branch and landed in front of the blond. She followed him in, scooping up her fox puppy. 'I wonder what kind of mission…'


End file.
